The film "Welcome to Durham" opens with familiar images of Duke basketball, but the rest of the film shows a side of Durham that most students probably never see: the lives of local gang members.
The one-hour documentary, which Durham natives Cicero Leak and Courtney Conrad produced with a meager $3,000 budget, had its second showing Monday night at Griffith Film Theater. More than a thousand people viewed the film between two screenings--one for local residents and one for Duke students--and many stayed for a panel discussion featuring local leaders that followed.
In a frank look at gang violence in Durham, the film features confessions of local gang members as young as 12, who proudly display their guns, drugs, gang signs and bullet wounds. These adolescents have joined local gangs in Durham such as Life on Barnes, known as L.O.B., as well as others with ties to the Bloods and the Crips.
The youth discuss how a lack of role models and other opportunities led them to join gangs. "It's what you gotta do, not what you want to do," one gang member says.
"Welcome to Durham" also focuses on how the media helps glamorize the gang lifestyle through rap music and movies that give kids the idea that crime is the only way to make money. Several people in the film blame the news media for exacerbating Durham's problems by exploiting images of violence, creating a hysteria that discourages citizens from living in or getting involved with the city.
Although the movie offers a candid portrait of the dark side of the Bull City, it ends on a positive note, with several local leaders discussing what they see as Durham's bright future.
In the panel that followed, several of the participants emphasized the alarming nature of the film as they discussed possible solutions to the issue of gang violence.
Dan Hill, former City Council member, opened the panel by calling "Welcome to Durham" one of the most powerful films he's ever seen.
"It should serve as a wake-up call to Durham," he said.
In proposing solutions, several panelists stressed the importance of education and after-school programs as alternatives to gangs.
"All of you need to put your time, your energy and your resources into programs that help young people," said Martina Dunsford, director of the New Horizons alternative school in Durham. "New Horizons is not the only program, but it feels like it is sometimes."
Chris Martin, the former rapper and actor who portrayed "Play" in the movie "Kid N' Play," said he could relate to the youth in the documentary.
"For a brief period of time, that was me," Martin said. "I took pride in being a career criminal."
Martin also said that although he escaped from a life of crime, the best way he thinks he can combat gang violence is to change Hollywood, as entertainment has a large impact on young people.
After viewing the film, which was sponsored by the Duke University Union along with the Office of Student Affairs, junior Charlotte Vaughn said she hoped it would make people aware of the problem of gang violence.
"It was very unsettling, just that this is where we live and this is the reality of the situation," Vaughn said. "Hopefully, people will realize it's going to take a lot more to solve it."
Yet Steven Chalmers, chief of the Durham Police Department, said the issues in the film are not exclusive to Durham.
"It could have been called 'Welcome to Any Town, USA.' It's happening all over the country," Chalmers said.
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